Firefighters were forced to cut off part of an apartment building's roof as they fought to knock back fast moving flames.

A fire broke out inside the two-story building at the corner of N. 15th and W. Wingohocking Streets in the Logan section of Philadelphia around 7 p.m. on Friday, the Philadelphia Fire Department confirmed.

The building has a small grocery store on the first floor and apartments on the second floor.

From SkyForce10 in the air, flames could be seen shooting from a window and under the roof of the building.

Firefighters used tools like an ax to break off parts of the roof that were ablaze, sending the flaming pieces of debris crashing onto the store's awning and ground below.

It took fire crews about 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control, fire officials said.

No one was hurt.

The Red Cross is assisting a family of two who lived in the building, a spokesman for the organization said.

A kitten was also displaced and is being cared for by the Red Paw Relief Team.

A man has become Philadelphia's 23rd fire victim of the year after he was found dead inside a boarding home in North Philadelphia on Friday.

The unidentified man was killed in the blaze that started inside the two-story boarding house along the 2300 block of Firth Street around 6:20 p.m., fire officials said.

Fire Captain Clifford Gilliam said it took firefighters 15 minutes to get control of the fire. The victim was found inside a middle bedroom on the second floor, he said.

Five other residents, who were inside when the fire began, were able to make it out safely.

Gilliam said there were no working smoke detectors in the house.

"During a search of the property we did not find any working smoke alarms," he said. "There was one smoke alarm in the basement; once we opened it up it had a battery inverted."

The Department of Licenses & Inspections was called out to inspect the property.

Gilliam says the man's death brings the total number of fire deaths in the city this year to 23. This time last year 24 people had lost their lives in fires.

The captain said with the changing temperatures, it's important to ensure that residents have working smoke detectors installed in their homes. He also suggests having heaters serviced.

The Philadelphia Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

This blaze was one of three that broke out on Friday night.

A fire at an apartment building in Hunting Park forced firefighters to cut off part of the roof to attack the flames. Two people were displaced in that fire.

An apartment caught fire along the 4200 block of Chester Ave. in University City around 7:30 p.m. One person was treated at the scene by paramedics.

The IRS and Treasury Department announced proposed guidelines clarifying the definition of political activities for social welfare nonprofits Tuesday afternoon, a move that could restrict the spending of the dark money groups that dumped more than $254 million of anonymous money into the 2012 elections. Read the guidelines here.

However, the guidelines, which finally define what constitutes "candidate-related political activity," aren't a done deal. They will take some time for public comment and debate, and more time to finalize. (The IRS asks that all comments and requests for a public hearing be submitted by Feb. 27.) Experts also cautioned that the real test of oversight on the political spending by nonprofits will be how these regulations are enforced, something that the IRS has been so far reticent to do.

The proposed regulations "are only as good as the extent of compliance with them, which history would indicate requires a realistic threat of enforcement and significant sanctions on the groups involved and probably the individuals running those groups," said Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, a law professor and associate dean at the University of Notre Dame who specializes in nonprofits and campaign finance.

Social welfare nonprofits are allowed to spend money on election ads without reporting their donors, as long as they can prove that social welfare 2013 and not politics 2013 is their primary purpose. But the IRS guidelines for political spending have been vague. They state that the agency will apply a "facts and circumstances" test to each ad, meaning that if an ad walks and talks like a political ad, it's a political ad.

ProPublica and others have written extensively about how many social welfare nonprofits have exploited loopholes in Federal Election Commission and IRS rules since the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling opened the door to unlimited election spending by corporations and nonprofits.   

Some of the groups spend more than political action committees. GOP strategist Karl Rove's group Crossroads GPS, for example, told the IRS it spent more than $74.5 million on election activities in 2012, more than any other dark money group and all but two super PACs, which are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from reported donors.

The proposed regulations could dramatically change how the nonprofits spend money. The proposal defines political activity as including any expenditures reported to the FEC and any grants to other tax-exempt organizations that do candidate-related political activity. (We wrote yesterday about one such grant from Rove's group.) Political activity would also include voter-registration drives and "get out the vote" drives 2014 even for nonpartisan groups. It would also include holding events featuring candidates within two months of a general election.

"This proposed guidance is a first critical step toward creating clear-cut definitions of political activity by tax-exempt social welfare organizations," said Mark Mazur, Treasury's assistant secretary for tax policy, in a statement. "We are committed to getting this right before issuing final guidance that may affect a broad group of organizations. It will take time to work through the regulatory process and carefully consider all public feedback as we strive to ensure that the standards for tax-exemption are clear and can be applied consistently."

Until now, many groups have counted some ads reported to the FEC 2014 those that stop short of telling people how to vote2014toward their education mission. Some groups have also counted direct political spending reported to the FEC as part of their social welfare mission. Most nonprofits have counted grants to politically active social welfare nonprofits as part of their social welfare mission.

The regulations represent the first time the IRS has pushed back against political activity by these groups since revealing that the agency targeted the applications of conservative groups for extra review in May, kicking off a political firestorm. (Conservative groups accounted for about 85 percent of the spending by social welfare nonprofits in 2012.)

The proposed regulations appear similar to ones used by the IRS last summer for groups that wanted to expedite approval of their applications. However, the new regulations don't propose a limit on spending, unlike last summer's rules, which said no more than 40 percent of a group's expenditures could be made on political activities.

If adopted, the rules would also make social welfare nonprofits operate much differently than unions and trade associations, nonprofits that are also allowed to spend money on political activity. If that happens, it's likely trade associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will become the vehicle of choice for anonymous money in politics, experts said. 

This story was published through a news coverage partnership between NBC10.com and ProPublica.org

Detectives are searching for two men who burst into a Philadelphia beauty shop carrying assault-style rifles and robbed the place of cash.

The robbery took place at the Wild & Crazy Beauty Supply shop at 4326 N. Broad Street in the Hunting Park section of the city just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Philadelphia Police.

With hoods up, the two men, one wearing a black ski mask and the other an animal print mask, pointed AR15 assault-style rifles at the employees and demanded cash.

As seen on surveillance video, the staff filled a dark bag with cash from the register and handed it to one of the suspects.

Police say both suspects then fled on foot in an unknown direction.

Both men are said to be in their late teens or early 20s. One was wearing a black Nike sweatshirt and black pants. The other wore a gray sweatshirt with a white "Adidas" logo on the front, dark pants and gray sneakers with bright red laces.

Anyone with information is asked to call Philadelphia Police's tipline at 215.686.TIPS.

Fire crews battled a four-alarm fire on Saturday afternoon at a Christmas warehouse in Burlington County, N.J.

The call came in around 2:30 p.m. and nearly 100 firefighters rushed to the "Christmas Tree Shops" warehouse on Daniels Way in Florence Township.

Fire officials on the scene tell NBC10 the fire originated near the solar panels on the roof of the building, but won't know how it actually started until an investigation is complete.

Fire crews prepared for the worst case scenario after facing similar challenges during a Dietz & Watson warehouse fire in the same county back in September. Because of the hazards caused by the solar panels on the top of that meat distribution center in Delanco, it took firefighters more than 24 hours to get the 11-alarm blaze under control.

Saturday's fire was not nearly as large, with only heavy smoke, not flames, rising from the building. Fire officials tell NBC10 the fire never made it to the interior of the building and was isolated to part of the roof.

No one was injured.

Christmas Tree Shops are part of the Bed Bath & Beyond family, with stores located in 21 states.

Photo courtesy: Westampton Township Emergency Services

A man, wearing a reflective safety vest, is killed in an apparent hit-and-run.

WATCH: Man Beated, Robbed on Jeweler's Row

Pennsylvania State Police say the body of Michael Mason, 36, of Bethlehem, was found on the shoulder of SR 222 with severe injuries. 

Mason died as a result of those injuries.

Authorities say his body was found by a passing motorist where SR 222 intersects with Kressler Road. Police say Mason was dressed in dark-colored clothing, but was wearing a reflective vest.

State Police and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call 610-395-1438.

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Philly Police opened fire on a man who they say pointed a sawed-off shotgun at them during a chase last night in Northeast Philadelphia.

• WATCH: Fire Damages Christmas Warehouse

The alleged gunman was shot multiple times and is in critical condition.

According to police, the drama began when the man first pulled out the shotgun at two men along the 6300 block of Ditman Street around 10:40 p.m.

He made off with $500 cash and they called 911.

Police found a man near Levick and Vandike Streets who matched the description of the shotgun robber and they asked him to stop. He took off and they chased him, on foot, into the parking lot of a nearby Rite Aid.

That's when the gunman pointed his shotgun at the officer, according to police. One of the officers opened fire with his Glock pistol. Police say he hit the gunman multiple times. The officer who opened fire will be taken off the street and put on desk duty while the department investigates the case. That is standard procedure. The District Attorney's office will also review the case.

The man's 20-gauge shotgun was recovered at the scene.

No officers were injured.

Police are questioning the brother of a man whose body they found wrapped in a sheet and packing material early Sunday.

The call came in just before 1 a.m. for a man who needed hospital attention at a home in the Oxford Circle neighborhood of Philadelphia.

When police arrived with medics at the home in the 2100 block of Princeton Avenue, they found the man's body in the basement.

Arthur Figueiredo was dead. His body was wrapped up inside a sheet and packing material, right next to a bed in the basement, according to police.

Medics pronounced 36-year-old Figueiredo dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives are holding Figueiredo's brother for questioning, according to police.

They are also waiting for the medical examiner to tell them exactly what caused Figueiredo's death.

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A structure caught fire in Pleasantville at 601 Martin Terrace around 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. 

The Pleasantville Fire Department said two trailers caught fire near Pleasantville High School. The fire department has not yet determined the source of the two-alarm fire, but it may be a result of a possible brush fire. The trailers are a part of a construction business and not associated with the high school.

In addition to Pleasantville Fire Department, the Ventnor, Northfield and Absecon Fire Departments responded. Due to the holiday weekend, no one was present at the fire scene. No injuries were reported. 

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Now you have to pass through security to leave the airport.

Futuristic unmanned portals have replaced officers at the security exits of two small Northeast airports, adding a few seconds in a bulletproof glass pod to the end of every passenger's trip.

The rounded exits at the Syracuse and Atlantic City, N.J., airports prevent passengers from backtracking into secure areas once they exit the plane and keep outsiders from entering through the exits. Travelers step into the elevator-sized cylinders and wait as a door slides closed behind them. After a couple of seconds, another door opens in front with a female voice coolly instructing, ``Please exit.''

``I don't understand those doors,'' says Cindy Katz, of Jupiter, Fla., who came through the Atlantic City airport for the Thanksgiving holiday. ``What are they supposed to do? It slows everyone down.''

They could be the wave of things to come as the Transportation Security Administration prepares to shift exit-monitoring duties to local airports next year as a way to save $88.1 million. The doors' manufacturer, New York City-based Eagle Security Group, Inc., says it is in talks with other airports.

The technology saves airports from having to put paid security staff at the exit checkpoints. Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is pushing to keep the TSA in charge of exit monitoring, says such staffing could cost Philadelphia International Airport about $2 million a year.

Syracuse Aviation Commissioner Christina Callahan, whose airport installed eight portals this past fall at a total cost of about $750,000, says staffing each exit with a guard would cost about $580,000 a year.

``So when compared with the cost to install the portals, they will have paid for themselves and begin saving the airport money in little over a year,'' Callahan said.

``Certainly funding is limited for staffing,'' she said. ``Airports are going to have to find other ways to keep up with mandates.''

In Atlantic City, the manpower savings from the portals are estimated at $300,000 a year, South Jersey Transportation Authority spokesman Kevin Rehmann said. The airport has had a version of the exits since about 2009, but upgraded its five portals last year as part of a $25 million terminal renovation.

The portals are intended to remove the potential for the kind of human error that was blamed for a 2010 breach that shut down a Newark Liberty International Airport terminal for several hours and caused worldwide flight delays after a Rutgers graduate student slipped under a rope to see his girlfriend off on her flight.

On recent evenings in both Syracuse and Atlantic City, there did not appear to be any sign of backups caused by the roughly five-second process of entering and exiting through the portals. Signs encouraged travelers to enter the pods in groups _they can accommodate up to six people at a time _ rather than one by one.

``It went smoothly,'' says Robert Beech, who arrived back home in Syracuse on a flight from New York City. ``Just had to wait for the doors to open and close. Even with carry-on, pull-behind bags, you can still get through there without having to worry about bumping into things.''

Mindy Carpenter, of Cortland, who was waiting for friends to arrive from Washington state, says she wasn't a fan of the doors.

``It just took so long for the four of them to come through,'' she said.

The appearance of the exits in Syracuse provoked a blogger to label them ``detention pods'' in furtherance of a police state.

Aviation security expert Jeff Price calls the criticism unwarranted.

``It doesn't do anything to you. There's no privacy intrusion. All it does is prevent a backflow of people,'' said Price, a professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver. ``It's not conducting a National Security Agency check or something.''

A common question among passengers is whether they are being scanned somehow while closed inside. While it is possible to equip portals with biometric scanning technology, officials say the current versions do nothing but form a barrier between the secure and nonsecure areas of the airport.

``We're not scanning anything or doing anything really,'' Rehmann said. ``When one side's open, the other side's closed. Period.''

The sounds of children playing on a Lebanon Avenue sidewalk Saturday afternoon didn't curb a shooter.

An armed man opened fire on Christian Massey, 21, in a nearby alley.

The armed man first demanded Massey's Dr. Dre Beats headphones. Massey did not comply and tried to run, witnesses say. The suspect shot five rounds, striking and killing Massey. The headphones lay near Massey's lifeless body. He had purchased them for about $300 on Black Friday.

"To me, he was my child," said Eula Hodge, his grandmother. "Why did they have to shoot him. They didn't get what they shot him for so he was shot for nothing."

His goal was to play basketball and buy a house for himself and his sisters. Philadelphia Police have no leads and are seeking the public's help with identifying a suspect.

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Two people were shot and one of them is dead following an overnight shooting in the city's Somerset section.

Police say that a woman flagged down a patrol car at 2nd and Somerset around 2:30 a.m. to report a double shooting nearby.

When they arrived at Palethorpe and Somerset Sts., they found two men, 33 and 34, on the ground, one with a gunshot wound to the chest and another shot in the leg.

Both victims were transported to Temple University Hospital. The 33-year-old was pronounced dead a short time later.

The second victim is listed in stable condition.

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